She was tipped to be the glamorous star of President Hollande’s government — a working-class girl who rose to become a respected author and the darling of the Left Bank before being made Culture Minister.

Now Aurélie Filippetti is struggling to fend off a conservative, male backlash threatening to derail her career over the appointment of the next head of the Louvre.

The minister is facing criticism from Parisian curators and critics after she tried to replace Henri Loyrette, the outgoing chairman, with Sylvie Ramond, director of Lyons Fine Arts Museum.